The Music Box
by jackandsamforever
Summary: This is an episode continuation for "Ivan" or whatever the heck the title was changed to. This story explores what happens after we see Liz in Red's arms as the screen fades to black.


**AN: **This is a continuation fic to show what I wish would have happened after the great hug/cuddles we got last night. *hyperventilates*

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to the Blacklist.

_"To know that everything's going to be ok. You're going to be ok."_

Liz let out a slow breath and allowed herself to relax against his body as his arm tightened across her chest. She closed her eyes and concentrated on his warm breath on the back of her head as he nuzzled his nose and lips against her hair. It was ironic that he was the one she went to for comfort, because he had been the catalyst in the unraveling of her life. She found that she didn't care about that much anymore as she listened to the music coming from the music box. It brought back good memories, ones that she'd like to remember forever, and had Red to thank for that. While she'd been berating and taking her anger out at him; he'd been making her this incredible gift. She didn't know how she could ever repay him.

She sat there in his arms for an unknown amount of time without a word, and felt herself starting to doze as she realized how late it actually was; she wondered if Tom suspected that she knew something.

She took another deep breath then sat up slowly and looked at him with a small smile. He gave her a small upturn of his lips as the hand that was on her back began to move in little circles over her shoulders. She opened her mouth to say something but she yawned hugely before she could get anything out. She sat back against his hand, then looked up at him and said quietly, "Thank you again, Red. This means more than you'll ever know."

He quirked his lips in acknowledgment and said, "I have a fairly good idea, Lizzie, but you're welcome. I'm glad its brought back pleasant memories."

She nodded and swallowed the emotion rising in the back of her throat, she didn't need to cry over Sam anymore; it'd been months since he passed away. She yawned again, and since she was already sitting close to him, decided to lay her head on his shoulder. His hand moved up her back and curled lightly around the side of her neck as he said, "You need to sleep, sweetheart, I'm assuming you work tomorrow?" At her nod, he continued, "What about Tom?"

She turned her face into his shoulder and mumbled, "What about him?"

He sighed and tightened his hold on her neck slightly, "Won't he find it odd that his wife left in the middle of the night and didn't return?"

She shook her head, "No, I told him that I'd be at work all night and won't be home until tonight. He won't miss me."

His fingers began flitting lightly over her collarbone and shoulder. "I'm quite certain that all the time that you're spending away from home is helping his cause. He needs time away from you to do what he does, and your absence helps.

His hand slid down to her bicep as she sat up quickly and looked at him with pain in her eyes, "This is all so surreal. I'm still having a hard time believing that Tom is capable of any of this."

He squeezed her arm lightly and stood up to shut the music box, then looked over his shoulder and said, "The real Thomas Keen is not anything like the Tom that you know; you have to keep reminding yourself of that." He leaned down and brushed his fingers over the light bruise on her left cheek, "Tom did this to you, Lizzie, that's the kind of man that he really is."

She closed her eyes as his fingers trailed down to her jaw and whispered brokenly, "Then why didn't he just kill me? Why leave me alive?"

Red dropped his hand and straightened, then said quietly, "Of that I'm not sure, but I assume that that's not part of his mission. It may be eventually, but he's been ordered to keep you alive for a reason unbeknownst to me."

She sat back against the bench and ran a tired hand over her face, "Why am I so special? First, you come into my life and turn it upside down with all the "You're very special" crap, then Tom turns out to be some secret spy with a hidden agenda. Is nothing real in my life?"

He stepped closer and crouched down so he could look her in the face, "You can trust me, that's very real."

She didn't want to get into it with him again, so she nodded and laid her head back to look at the ceiling. She decided that this was one of her favorite hideouts of his. It was homey, with a warm and comforting yellow light casting a soft glow around the room. It was soothing in its own way as she felt herself drifting off to sleep again.

She was startled awake by a hand on her knee and his soft voice, "Lizzie, I don't want you driving home tonight. You can have my bed, you need it worse than I do."

Liz didn't move her head or open her eyes as she mumbled, "No, no, I don't want to impose. I'll be fine to drive home."

"Nonsense." He grabbed her hand and pulled her up as she weakly protested. She really wasn't in the right state of mind to come up with a valid argument to use against him, so she let him pull her through a door she hadn't previously seen and into a sparse bedroom with a twin bed against one wall. She looked around as they stood in the doorway and rose her eyebrows in surprise. There weren't the usual luxuries that Red was accustomed to, with only the bed and a tiny dresser in the opposite corner. "Geez, Red, going for the minimalist theme here?"

He huffed an amused laugh, "You know as well as I do that staying in a place like this doesn't bother me. I've stayed in much worse." She knew that, and it wasn't like this place was horrible, it just wasn't very nice.

He let go of her elbow and walked over to the dresser drawers and pulled out a white shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts. He turned back to her and said with a grimace, "This is all I have so you're going to have to make do, unless of course you want to sleep in what you're wearing?" He eyed her clothes with a slight tic in his left eye.

She shook her head and walked over to him to take the clothes. "These will be fine, do you even have a bathroom in this place? Or do you pee in a bottle?" He could tell she was teasing, so he refused to rise to her bait.

"Of course there's a bathroom, honestly Lizzie, I don't know what I would do without your cutting sense of humor."

She rolled her eyes and walked out of the room to find the bathroom and change.

OOOOOO

A few minutes later she walked back in on bare feet, absentmindedly wishing for some socks to help combat the cold cement floor. The clothes she had on were far too big, but they were better than nothing. She looked around the room and saw that Red was lying on the bed with his hands behind his head; fast asleep. He'd taken off his shoes and tie, but was still fully dressed as she walked over and observed the slow rise and fall of his chest.

He must have been tired if he hadn't woken up at her approach as she whispered, "Red, wake up."

His breathing didn't change; he truly must trust her if he was this relaxed around her.

She put her hand on his shoulder and shook it lightly, "Wake up," she said a little louder. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes slowly, looking at her in confusion, then realization, "I apologize, Lizzie, apparently I'm more tired than I thought."

She looked around the room and said a little self-consciously, "I'm awake enough to drive home. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll leave."

He sat up with a groan and shook his head, "I don't want you going home to Tom where you might catch him doing something and he be forced to harm you. Let him think you're at work while you get a good night's sleep here."

He had a point, as much as she was loath to admit it. She nodded and said reluctantly, "If you're sure."

He stood up and nodded, "I'm positive. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Red pulled the blanket down and watched as she slid under them. He pulled them back up, then leaned down and kissed her temple softly and said quietly near her ear, "Sleep well, Lizzie." He began to pull away, but she reached out and caught his hand before he could leave. He turned back and looked at her questioningly. She couldn't believe that she was about to ask him, but she didn't think she would be able to sleep without him near. "Will you stay with me?" At least for a while?"

If he was surprised by her words, he didn't show it as he said, "The bed's small, are you sure?"

She nodded, "I'm sure...don't make me ask again."

He nodded and quickly unbuttoned his vest and dress shirt, then slipped them off and laid them on the floor neatly. He stood in front of her in his white undershirt and black trousers, looking unsure for a moment. She slid over against the wall and lifted the blanket up for him as he laid down on his side facing her. She turned over so that her back was to him, then moved back until she felt the warmth of his body. She didn't move closer or touch him, but his presence was comforting and the smell of his aftershave on his pillow served to lull her to sleep. She didn't feel him lean over and kiss her shoulder, or hear his deeply troubled sigh as he fell asleep soon after.

**AN: **Soooo..I did "Try" to keep this somewhat canon..but after last night's episode..who really knows what canon is now? I'm still completely fangirling over that moment at the end. I'm sorry if this was boring, but I tried to make it interesting..I really did. I would love to hear what you guys think. Thanks for reading. :)


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